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The Stack Family... The Founders
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Joseph B. Stack |
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Morton Stack |
Joseph and Morton Stack brought to their new business an ability to formulate and carry through long-term planning that was without parallel in the world of professional numismatics in the 1930's. They set out to avoid the "Old Curiosity Shoppe" image that was so typical of retail coin shops of the time. To the Stacks, the image to be projected in their first offices at 690 Sixth Avenue was one of dignity, perfected in their later uptown facility at 12 West 46th Street. Since 1953, this decorous, museum-like ambience has been continued in the firm's present headquarters at 123 West 57th Street, New York City.
In accordance with their plans to make Stack's the leader in New York City and ultimately the premiere American numismatic firm, the founders began building a major professional library that became the largest held by any professional numismatic concern.
In time, the name Stack's became synonymous with American coinage, while world and ancient coins became the focus of their subsidiary, Coin Galleries. In assembling their professional staff, the founders set the guidelines that are still followed today, marshalling the talents of many of the country's leading experts under the Stack's banner.
The firm has remained under the steady direction of the Stack family. In 1945 Norman and Benjamin Stack joined their father, Joseph, in the business. Harvey Stack, Morton's son, began full-time in 1947, joined by his son Lawrence R. Stack in 1973 and his daughter Susan Stack in 1976.
Present Numismatic Management
Harvey G. Stack is the senior member of the firm today, and is the chief manager of its business affairs. He is active both as an appraiser and a cataloguer and has decades of experience in the exacting task of preparing each auction sale catalogue for relase.
An ANA member for a half century, Harvey Stack was a contributor to the building of its Colorado Springs headquarters, which houses the Stack's Gallery endowed by the family and bearing its name. He was directly involved with the first ANA Grading Guide and has received the Association's Medal of Merit. He has served as a constructive critic of the policies of ANA administrations when he has felt such criticism was necessary but has always aimed at the improvement, growth and development of the Association.
In 1967 he represented the industry before the Treasury Department and was instrumental in bringing repeal of the onerous and long-standing gold coin import regulations that had unfairly impacts on coin collectors. In 1973 he was the sole industry representative to appear before Congress advocating passage of the Hobby Protection Act.
He was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the U.S. Assay Commission in 1976, the last sitting of the oldest citizens' commission which had assured the integrity of the nation's coinage for nearly two centuries. He and his son, Lawrence R. Stack, has donated significant numismatic material to the National Numismatic Collection of the Smithsonian Institution, the American Numismatic Society and the ANA. He is enrolled as a lifetime member of the prestigious Smithson Society.
He served as President of the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG) in 1990-91, after serving on its board for more than 10 years. During this tenure as President, he effectively defended PNG and the industry from proposed Federal Trade Commission regulations which he felt were inappropriate for responsible professional numismatists. He was honored by his peers with the coveted PNG founders' award in 1993 and again in 1998 for an unprecedented second time.
He is a Fellow of the American Numismatic Society (ANS) and an active member of the International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN) and Royal Numismatic Society.
He has served as an expert witness for the U.S. Treasury Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Secret Service, a number of world banks, the New York City Police Department, Britain's Scotland Yard and other law enforcement agencies around the world.
In the Summer of 1997 he received a singular honor from the American Numismatic Association. He was named the 1997 ANA Numismatist of the Year in recognition of fifty years of service to the coin collecting hobby.
Lawrence R. Stack has been a key figure in the firm since 1973. he graduated from the University of Akron (Akron, Ohio) with a major in history and a minor in philosophy. An experienced collector, he has formed major collections of French Ecus, Five-Franc pieces and Ecus d'Or.
His in-depth collection of Celtic and Anglo-Saxon coins ranks high among the finest ever assembled and he has pursued a lifelong interest in English Hammered coinage. In the U.S. field he is a serious student of U.S. Colonial coins, U.S. Gold and Type coinage. He is a member of PNG, IAPN, ANA, ANS, The Royal Numismatic Society, British Numismatic Society and of major U.S. state and regional organizations, including the Central States Numismatic Society (CSNA) and Florida United Numismatists (FUN). He is a member of the Colonial Newsletter Foundation and a qualified appraiser.
Susan Stack received her Bachelor's Degree in Education at Syracuse University (Syracuse, New York). She earned her Master's Degree in Special Education at C.W. Post in 1977. Today, she serves as chief administrator of Stack's and Coin Galleries' auctions and mail bid sales.
She directs the experienced staff that performs the vital tasks that assure expeditious processing of consignments. She works closely with consignors and bidders from the moment consignments arrive through the shipping of lots to successful bidders. She has charge of the firm's many-faceted employee benefit programs and provides the general administrative direction that maintains Stack's in its leadership position in the world of professional numismatics.
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